Monica is a quiet person. Years and years of being ignored or ridiculed have left their mark on her, she’d much rather sit in her room than interact with people. She’s used to people trying to set up a joke at her expense and mistrustful of most people that approach her because of exactly that reason. Unsurprisingly, she struggles with her self-confidence, something that has lead to her taking regular counselling at Claremont, where for the first time in her life she can actually afford to do so.

Her recent rise to media recognition has not helped this at all. After the first interviews, many more requests followed and people started to recognize her on the street. This, together with the burden of having to live up to the name of Lady Liberty has only led to her feeling more insecure. Why did the spirit of liberty choose her, of all people? Monica’s love for the US was not the same as that of her predecessors. She loved her country, but it didn’t love her back, something she’d been made very painfully aware of her entire life.

Nevertheless, there are subjects she is passionate about, and certain circumstances will lead to her breaking out of her shell. She is invested in politics, often spending way too much time debating various issues online. Her big passion however, is medicine. For a long time she’s known that she wanted to become a doctor, and she has already accumulated a fair amount of knowledge in preparation for her time after high school.

History:

Monica came to America when she was 3, crossing the border together with her mother. Her father had been killed by one of the gangs and it was obvious that she and her mother also were in danger. So, her mother grabbed what little money she had and made her way north, towards the USA, towards the land of freedom and the American dream.

Monica’s mother does not talk about the journey, and Monica can only assume it was not easy for a woman in her early 20s to travel all the way to the American border and beyond. Monica’s first memories are from Phoenix, where her mother still lives to this day. She grew up with little luxury, two meals a day was something worth celebrating, as her mother continued to work most of the day to make ends meet.

Monica’s childhood was rather unspectacular. She was aware of her status as an “illegal” immigrant from early on, with all that it meant, even surrounded by people that, in many ways, were like her. She didn’t understand it, she was just as American than any of her fellow class-mates, yet somehow she wasn’t? Then, there was everything related to herself. Without many people to socialize with due to her not fitting into preconceived notions, she found herself on the internet most of her free time. There, she came across a short article on what it meant to be trans, something she identified with immediately. It changed her life, as she learned that her uncertainties were not unique, that there were people that felt the same way.

It changed her life, but it didn’t necessarily make it easier. There were hurdles to overcome, any sort of treatment was far out of grasp monetarily. There was her mother, who’d always been a fairly devout catholic. Monica had heard the horror stories and remained quiet about what she’d learned. And even if she knew it was right, she still had to figure out how it fit into her own system of belief.

It didn’t take long for her mother to realize, who, contrary to Monica’s fears, took it (rather) well. As she learned then, her uncle, who’d also died back in El Salvador, had had similar feelings, which he’d only ever told his sister, out of fear of exactly the situation Monica was afraid of. Yet, there still was the school situation. Monica withdrew further than even before, now barely spending time with anybody, her attendance record always skirting the minimum requirement. She still wanted to move forward, she still had aspirations, but she’d rather learn at home than sit in school. She’d learn more studying at home, she told herself.

Her life changed again on March 2nd of 2018. At first it seemed like a normal day, Monica was walking to school, happy that Spring Break was almost in reach. As she was walking, she spotted a van, veering out of control, right towards a younger student, also on his way to school. She acted without thinking, running onto the street and knocking him out of the way. The next thing she knew, there was pain and she fought to keep her grip on consciousness.

But right then, as she could already feel her life fading from her body, something happened. She regained control of her body and the pain was gone, even if she still crashed into a nearby lamppost. It didn’t hurt her, and as she opened her eyes, she realized that she was surrounded by a comforting glow. She’d never seen any superpowers in person before, but she immediately knew what it meant.

Jessica Howe, a young journalist for a local TV station, happened to be walking down the street at the same time. She’d managed to capture everything on camera, from Monica’s action to her sudden recovery. Jessica knew what it meant. She’d long been a fan of the Freedom League’s Lady Liberty, who had, much to the pain of many fans, retired not long ago. As it turned out, the Spirit of Liberty had found its next host, and Jessica had been there to witness it.

Before Monica had even fully registered what was going on, before the Paramedics had even arrived on the scene, she was already being interviewed, on live television. The story of the young woman who now was the nation’s newest Lady Liberty spread through the internet like wildfire. It wasn’t necessarily a good thing, within hours the fact the newest Lady Liberty was an undocumented immigrant transwoman was spread around various websites, the harassment began only shortly later. It wasn’t just internet trolls, but also members of conservative media outlets.

Monica didn’t know how to react, she’d been thrown into the national spotlight without any preparation. She completely cut herself off from all media and didn’t leave the house, unable to cope with what had suddenly happened. It was only when Beth Walton-Wright, the previous Lady Liberty, showed up at her door a week later that this changed. Beth supported Monica and would help her come to terms with what her new position meant. She also suggested that the young woman would attend Claremont Academy in Freedom City, where she’d receive all the training she could ask for.

It was not an easy decision for Monica to make. On one hand, it would be the training she needed, both as the new superhero and as an aspiring doctor. Graduating Claremont would open her much more doors than graduating some inner-city public school. On the other hand, it meant moving across most of the country, away from her mother and sister. Away from her (few) friends, and away from everything she knew, having only left the city a few times during her life so far.

In the end it was her mother that decided. She knew that her daughter was better off in Claremont, and while Monica was pondering the decision in her room, her mother signed the necessary documents. Monica would attend Claremont starting summer 2018, in what she’d been told would be “quite the class”.

Restraints I – Much like her predecessors, Monica loses her powers when restrained. When she is bound, she cannot draw upon the Spirit of Liberty properly. Other than the previous Lady Liberty, this does not have to mean she cannot access her powers at all, even if she herself is not yet aware of this. While being restrained means that she cannot access the full brunt of her powers, she may still be able to use very weak versions of them. As this is something that she carries with her name, this weakness is very well known, thus people are likely to exploit it.

Restraints II – The Spirit of Liberty, historically, has always been weakened by restraints, with the most recent Lady Liberty losing all her power whenever she was tied up in some way. Much like the exact powers of the Spirit, this too has changed with Monica. While physical restraints still limit her, it is not a complete loss. However, in return restraint has taken a more abstract meaning with her. Her powers weaken as her resolve does, the more she doubts herself the weaker they get, up to disappearing completely until she has regained her resolve.

Legacy of Liberty – Monica carries a massive burden on her. She has to live up to all previous women empowered by the Spirit of Liberty. They fought in the World Wars, in the Terminus Invasion and during many other occasions. While Monica has the approval of Beth Walton-Wright, the previous, and according to many, greatest Lady Liberty, she still doubts whether or not it is really her power to yield, and she has no idea how she’ll ever live up to what her name demands of her. The large fanbase the name carries with it does not help with this, as many of them have been rather unpleasant about Monica’s newfound powers.

Publicity – Monica’s identity is incredibly public, she got interviewed under her real name on TV only moments after getting her power. Monica never got to experience what it meant to have a secret identity, something she regrets very much. With this come the usual problems that are associated with a public identity, something she is very aware (and scared) of. Of course, the fact she is an undocumented immigrant doesn’t exactly improve the situation at all, and she is anxious about what may happen related to that situation now that her – and her family – ‘s status is known around the entire country.

The Student Life – First and foremost, Monica is a student, with all that includes. She has an attendance to keep, homework to do and things to study. She also has regular counselling sessions at Claremont, meaning that all in all, she does not get a lot of free time. As she didn’t spend much time at school before coming to Claremont, and said school’s curriculum was not exactly great, she struggles somewhat with keeping up acceptable grades, eating further into her time and confidence.

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You're short-selling yourself on her Grapple bonus - with +13 Melee and +2/+7 Str, Monica's grapple would be +20/+15.

Saves

Double-check the math on the Reflex save; 4+2 would be a +6 save, not +7.

Skills

Similar thing here - double-check the math on the Knowledge and Sense Motive.

I count 13pp of skills, too, not 12pp.

Powers (general)

Strength of Freedom has been labelled a 40pp container, but it contains 39pp of powers and is tallied as 39pp in the Powers tally.

Powers (Enhanced Extra)

You may want to explicitly note that the Enhanced Extra is on Toughness - assuming it is indeed on Toughness.

Going from Permanent Duration to Concentration Duration is a -1 flaw, not a -2; Permanent is a -1 flaw for Continuous powers, so it'd be Permanent -> Continuous (+1) -> Sustained (+0) -> Concentration (-1).

On the other hand, Range (Perception) is only two steps from Touch (Touch -> Ranged -> Perception), so that'd only be +2pp/rank, not +3. The jump from Personal -> Touch is already covered by Affects Others...

...but, Affects Others is a +1pp/rank Extra. If the power affects only others, I recommend labeling it as such ('Affects Only Others') so that it's more clear what you're buying.

Final Costs

Don't forget to tweak the final pp tally - right now it adds up to 179/180pp.